Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) Shares Bought by Global Retirement Partners LLC

Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM - Free Report) by 9.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,366 shares of the CRM provider's stock after buying an additional 1,341 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC's holdings in Salesforce were worth $5,137,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Salesforce in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC grew its stake in shares of Salesforce by 85.1% in the 4th quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 87 shares of the CRM provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of Salesforce in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. 80.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Salesforce Stock Performance

NYSE:CRM traded down $8.89 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $309.54. 7,341,387 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,249,096. The stock has a market capitalization of $296.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.91, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.31. Salesforce, Inc. has a 52-week low of $212.00 and a 52-week high of $369.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company's 50 day moving average price is $333.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $305.25.

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, December 3rd. The CRM provider reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.44 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $9.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.35 billion. Salesforce had a return on equity of 12.34% and a net margin of 15.96%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.62 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Salesforce, Inc. will post 7.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Salesforce Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 18th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 18th. Salesforce's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.32%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Miguel Milano sold 719 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $342.81, for a total value of $246,480.39. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,659 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,597,151.79. This represents a 13.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director G Mason Morfit sold 722,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.11, for a total transaction of $249,995,253.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,192,009 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,104,786,234.99. This represents a 18.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,102,833 shares of company stock valued at $381,389,136 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 3.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on CRM shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Salesforce from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Salesforce from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Salesforce from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Salesforce from $330.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Salesforce from $390.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, thirty-two have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $375.53.

About Salesforce

Salesforce, Inc provides Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology that brings companies and customers together worldwide. The company's service includes sales to store data, monitor leads and progress, forecast opportunities, gain insights through analytics and artificial intelligence, and deliver quotes, contracts, and invoices; and service that enables companies to deliver trusted and highly personalized customer support at scale.